Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. 0. MILLER. GAR COUPLING.

No. 526,250. Patented Sept. 18, 1894.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. 0. MILLER. GAR COUPLING.

ATTORNEYS.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JAMES OQMILLER, or ROCHESTER, INDIANA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 526,250, datedSeptember 18, 1894.

Application filed February 20, 1894. erial No. 500,893. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES O. MILLER, of Rochester, in the county ofFulton and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful ImprovedOar-Ooupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improved car coupling of the automatic type,and has for Its ob ects, to provide a novel, practical de' vice of thecharacter indicated, which will be adapted for self coupling with asimilar coupl ng, which will be detachable from either side of a car,and that may be readily coupled w th an ordinary car coupling of thelink and pin type.

To these ends, my invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference isto be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part 'ofthis specification, In which similar figures and letters of referonceindicate corresponding parts in all the views shown.

Figure 1. is a broken plan view of the frame of a car, and main portionsof two of the improved car couplings in coupled condition.

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the same.

in a coupled condition.

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the improvement, showingin full linesthe parts in an uncoupled condition and. showing in dotted lines, theirdirection of movement during the act of coupling. Fig. 4 is asectionalside view of the end of a car, and a side view of theimprovement thereon andin an uncoupled condition. Fig. 5 is a sectionalplan view on the line 55 in Fig. 4, showing the parts in uncoupledadjustment. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view of the same showing theparts Fig. 7 is a sectional slde view, taken on the line 7-7 in Fig. 6;and Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view, on the line 8-8 in Fig. 5.

The drawhead of the improved car coupling consists of two equal sections10, 10, that are joined together at their center of thickness in ahorizontal plane, by the screw bolts 11, which are so located as toavoid interference with working parts, the contour of the similar parts10,102 being oblong, nearly rectangular, and converged at the rear end,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The half sections of the drawhead arerecessed oppositely on their the latter being adapted to suit the shapesof parts that are caused to impinge their rear sides, and are preferablysloped at their rear shoulders, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 On one side ofthe composite drawhead 10, 10 at a suitable distance rearward of theabutment a, the arm 12 is pivoted by one of the bolts 11, that passesthrough it intermediate of its ends, and also through both i560? tionsof the drawhead, wherein it is secured by a nut on one end of the bolt.On the outer end of the arm 12, an elongated link 13 is pivoted, the arm12 being introduced between the side members of the link, which membersare spaced apart toward the ends that are forward in service, and arejoined together by a strong vertical bar, a bolt serving to connecttheir rear ends, and by springin g the side members preventing loosenessbetween the link and its supporting arm. On the bolt 11 that is thepivot of the arm 12, a coiled spring 12 is placed, which has twoelongated limbs, one of these having contact with the bolt at the rearend of the link, and the other pressing upon the abutment c, that isbehind the arm 12, so that the link and arm will be held in the positionindicated in Figs. 5 and 6, the arm 12 having contact at its front edgewith the sloped rear wall of the abutment a. The forwardly projectedportion of the link 13 is permitted to vibrate toward the side of thedrawhead which is preferably sloped on the side a proper degree to-.ward a median line at the front end, to allow such a movement of thelink to take place. On the other side of the drawhead, there is a hook,piece pivoted in the drawhead slot, which is longer on this side toafford room for the free movement of the hook-piece, the latterconsisting of a limb 14; that is prefer- ICC ably made straight, and atits forward end is formed with an outwardly and rearwardlybent hook 14,and a toe 1e, that projects inwardly of a length that will permit itsinner terminal to avoid contact with the inner end of the arm 12, whenthese parts are disposed as shown in Fig. 6. The hook 14 is pivotedwithin the slot of the drawhead by a vertical bolt 11, that passesthrough a vertical perforation in the drawhead sections, and through ahole in the hook-piece that is formed in its forward portion between thehook and toe, and about in a line with the axial center of the limb 14*.There is acoiled spring 1 1 provided for the normal projection of thelimb 14 toward the front, the degree of said forward rocking movementbeing determined by the impinge of the hook proper upon the rear slopedwall of the abutment b, as shown in Fig. 5. The spring 1 1 is made toencircle the pivot-bolt 11 of the hook, and its two spring limbsrespectively engage with the abutment con this side of the drawhead, andwith the hook limb 14?, the end of the spring that has contact with thelimb being bent to hook upon the latter, as represented in Figs. 5 and6.

The drawhead is longitudinally slotted between the rear abutments c, ofa proper breadth and depth to permit the free insertion and longitudinalreciprocation of the drawbar 15, and as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the slotmentioned is gradually widened rearwardly from a point (1, on eachabutment c, and outwardly sloped toward the front from the same pointsat a greater angle of divergence from a median line. There is alaterally enlarged head portion 15, formed on the front end of thedrawbar, which head is fitted to contact with the sloped front sidewalls of the abutments c, and forwardly of the parts that in servicewill engage these abutment walls the front terminal of the drawbar isconvex-curved for a proper engagement with the in-curved rear edges ofthe toe on the hook limb and inward projection of the arm 12, asindicated in Fig. 6. The drawbar 15 and drawhead sections 10, 10, areperforated so as to align the side walls of the apertures 15 that areformed at the transverse center of the parts mentioned, for thereception of a locking pin 16.

The vertical perforation in the drawhead sections is formed at a pointnearly opposite the forward sloped walls on the'abutments c, and iselongated rearwardly, the pin 16 being fitted to slide loosely withinit. The aperture in the drawbar 15 is formed completely through said barat a point which will permit it to vertically align with the aperture inthe drawhead, when the latter is arranged to project its hook limbrearwardly, as represented in Fig. 6, and from the through aperture inthe bar, a recess 15 is forwardly produced in the upper surface of thebar 15, that is in depth equal to one half the thickness of the bar, asshown in Figs. 7 and 8. A yoke piece 17 is furnished, which comprises abar that is preferably sloped on the front side from a central in-curvedportion of said side,

that fits neatly upon the out-curved rear end wall of the drawheadsections 10, 10 and a ,central rectangular slot is formed in theyokepiece from front to rear, for the loose reception of the drawbar 15.The yoke piece 17is sufficiently projected from the drawbar at each.side to receive the front ends of the guide rods 18, which arecylindrical pieces of an equal length, and are secured by their frontends in perforations in the yoke piece, as represented in Figs. 5 and 6.The guide rods 18 are so proportioned in length that they may be freelyintroduced in parallel holes formed for their reception in thetransverse sill A, of a car, and pass rearwardly to engage their rearportions with perforations produced in another cross timber B, that is apart of the car frame, and is arranged in parallel with the end sill A.Each guide rod 18 has a fixed collar 18 formed on or secured upon itintermediately of its ends. these collars being sufficiently removedfrom the rear ends of the rods to permit the similar springs 19, to bemounted on the said rods between the collars and cross timber B, theforce of said springs being adapted to normally project the yoke piece17 forwardly, and by pressure of the latter on the drawhead,slidethelatter forwardly on the drawbar until the head of the bar and slopedfront walls of the abutments 0, c, are in contact, which position ofsill A, midway between the guide rods 18, for

the sliding movement of the drawbar 15, that projects rearwardlyof asuitablelength, having the same dimensions in cross section as thedrawbar portion that occupies the drawhead, and from the rear end ofsaid square body, a drawbar portion 15 is prolonged, which is reduced inthe diameter of its body as compared to the main part of the drawbarwith which it is axially aligned.

The transverse frame timber B is perforated centrally between the guiderods 18, to receive the reduced extension piece 15. Said part has acollar 15 secured upon it in front of the timber B, and on the portionthat projects behind said timber, a strong spiral spring 20 is mounted,and is retained in enforced contact with the rear face of the timber B,by a collar 15 and transverse pin, or by any other suitable means.

The rear end of the link 13, is loosely coupled to one limb of the bellcrank 13, that is pivoted on the lower side of the drawhead at the rearof the link, upon one of the bolts 11, so as to permit its other limb tobe loosely secured to the front end of a connecting rod 13, which isshackled at its rear end upon the lower side of the drawbar 15, near thereduced extension piece 15, as represented in Figs. 2 and 3; and it willbe seen,

and the locking pin 16 is dropped through the aligned holes in thedrawhead and drawbar, the link 13 will be permitted to rock inwardly atits front end, and when the pin is withdrawn the springs 19 will pressthe yoke piece forwardly and rock the link outwardly at its front end. l

The locking pin 16 is afforded a proper length, and at its upper end isloosely shackled to the outerend of an arm 21, which projects from thetransverse rock shaft 21, that is rotatably supported upon the end wallof the car 0, each end of the shaft being provided with a crank handle21 located at the sides of the car, so that the manipulation ofone ofthe crankhandles will afford means to lift the pin 16, when this isnecessary.

-The operation is as follows: Two cars having the improvement, andopposed on the same railroad track, can be automatically.

connected by simply shoving the drawheads together, as this impact willvibrate the limbs 14: rearwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3, sothat the links 13, that by their impinge on the limbs cause theirvibration, will assume positions at opposite sides of the appreachingdrawheads, which will permit the free insertion of the hooks 14 withintheir front ends, thus interlocking the links and hooks. As the pressureof one drawhead upon the other forces each one rearwardly until the yokepieces 17 impinge the end sillsA of the car frames, this will rock thefront ends of the links intothe position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and atthe same time permit the pins 16 to drop from the bottom wall of therecess 15 in the drawbar into the aligned pin holes of the drawheadsections and the drawbar, which will effectively lock the drawhead inrearward adjustment, and prevent the release of the joined hooks andlinks, by reason of the contact of the hook toes 14 with the front endof the drawbar 15, as before mentioned, and shown in Fig. 6.

If it is desired to release two cars that are coupled with the improvedcouplings, it is only necessary to manipulate either crank of the rockshaft 21, to effect such a result, as the release of the drawhead from alocked en gagement with the drawbar will permit the The spring 20,retains the drawbar 15 in a retracted condition, and affords elasticityto the drawhead when the coupling is subjected to shocks incidental toapplied draft strain in service. The perforation of the drawheadsections betweenthe abutments a, Z), as at e,

affords a pin hole for the coupled attachment of the improved couplingwith an ordinary link and pin coupling, as the pin can be droppedthrough said hole 6 after the elongated link has been inserted in thedrawhead throat.

It is claimed for this device, that it is reliable under all theexigencies of rough service, and

that the peculiar construction and arrangeness of the pin 16, permits alimited lateral rocking movement of the drawhead, which enables thedevice to yield on curves of the railroad, and thus avoids objectionablestrain that would occur if such a provision were not made.

' Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. In a earcoupling, the combination, with arecessed drawhead, of an arm pivoted 1n a side slotof the drawhead, alink pivoted upon said arm, and a limbedhook pivoted in a slot at theopposite side of the drawhead, substantially as described. I

2. In a car coupling, the combination,w1th a laterally slotted drawhead,an arm pivoted in one side slot, a link pivoted on the arm, and a limbedhook pivoted in the opposite slot, of a drawbar longitudinallyadjustable in the drawhead, substantially as described.

3. In a car coupling, the combination with a drawhead, a supportedspring-cushioned'device, a longitudinally slidable drawbar andaretraetile spring therefor, of an elongated link, an arm pivoted to thelink and in one slotted side of the drawhead, and a limbed hook pivotedin an opposite slot of the drawhead, substantially as described.

4. In a car coupling, the combination with a drawhead, and a linkandahook oppositely vibratile on the drawhead, of a slidable drawbar,and a locking pin adapted to engage aligned perforations in the drawheadand,

bratile atthe side of the drawhead, and a supported spring-cushioningdevice for the drawhead, of an elongated drawbar, a retractile springtherefor, and a locking pin adapted to engage aligned perforations 'inthe drawhead and drawbar, substantially as described.

6. In a car coupling, the combination with a recessed drawhead, a yokepiece therefor, guide rods projected in parallel from the yoke piece,the cushion springs thereon, of a link and a hook vibratile at the sideof the drawhead, a longitudinally slidable drawbar within. the drawhead,and a vertically adjustable pin adapted to engage aligned perforationsin the drawhead and drawbar, substantially as described.

7. In a car coupling, the combination, with a two-part drawhead recessedat its forward brate in the recess and project at the side of thedrawhead, and a limbed hook pivoted in said recess and projected fromthe opposite side of .the drawhead, substantially as described.

8. In a car coupling, the combination, with a slidable drawhead, aspring-cushioning device adapted to support the drawhead, and aspring-retracted slidable drawbar in the drawhead, of a pivotedlaterally vibratile link at one side of the drawhead, a hook on anelongated limb and pivoted to laterally vibrate at the opposite side ofthe drawhead, and a lockin g pin arranged to detachably retain the frontend of the drawbar pressed onthe link support and hook, preventing theirvibration,

substantially as described.

9. In a car coupling, the combination, with a supported spring-cushionedyoke piece, a

drawhead arranged to laterally rock in con-- tact with the yoke piece,and a slidable springretracted drawbar whereon the drawhead rocks andslides, of a spring-pressed arm vibratile in a side slot of thedrawhead, a link pivoted to laterally swing thereon, a hook having anelongated limb and pivoted in an opposite slot in the drawhead, and aspring adapted to throw forward the limb of said hook, substantially asdescribed.

10. In a car coupling, the combination with a drawhead, a laterallyvibratile link and a laterally vibratile hook, of a slidable drawbar,and an adjustable device arranged to lock the bar to the drawhead andretain the hook and link support from vibration, substantially asdescribed.

11. In a car coupling, the combination, with a supported drawhead, apivoted link arranged to rock with a pivoted arm on one side of thedrawhead, a pivoted hook having an elongated limb and projectable fromthe opposite side of the drawhead, and expansible springs for the hookand link arm, of a supported spring-cushioning device engaging the rearend of the drawhead, a longitudinally elongated vertical pin-hole in thedrawhead, a mating hole in the drawbar, a top recess in the bar,forwardly-extended from its pin hole, and a vertically-adjustablelocking pin arranged to rest in the recess when the drawhead isuncoupled, and drop into the aligned pin-holes of the head and bar whenthe device is coupled, substantially as described.

12. In a car coupling, the combination,with a slidable spring-presseddrawhead, a pivoted spring-pressed arm in one side of the drawhead, anelongated link pivoted thereon, and a hook having an elongated limb andpivoted in the opposite side of the drawhead, of a longitudinallyslidable spring-retracted drawbar, a locking-key, means to remove thekey by manipulation from either side of the car, a bell crank pivotedbeneath the drawhead and shackled by one limb to the rear end of thelink, and a connecting rod loosely secured by its ends to the other limbof the bell crank and also to the rear part of the drawbar,substantiallyas described.

JAMES O. MILLER.

Witnesses:

G. W. HOLMAN, DANIEL AGNEW.

